Formal Operational Phase

1452 Words6 Pages
Formal Operational Stage: 1. Problem Solving The formal operational stage is the fourth and final stage of cognitive development in Piaget's theory. This stage, which follows the Concrete Operational stage, commences at around 11 or 12 years of age (puberty) and continues into adulthood. In this stage, individuals move beyond concrete experiences and begin to think abstractly, reason logically, and draw conclusions from the information available as well as apply all these processes to hypothetical situations. The formal operational stage is the fourth and final stage of cognitive development in Piaget's theory. This stage, which follows the Concrete Operational stage, commences at around 11 of years of age (puberty) and continues into adulthood. In this stage, individuals move beyond concrete experiences and begin to think abstractly, reason logically, and draw conclusions from the information available as well as apply all these processes to hypothetical situations. Distinguishing Characteristics During Formal Operations: | * Proportional reasoning | * Ability to think about the unseen | * Ability to consider a range of possibilities (Understands the concept of the possible, as in moral dilemmas, justice, understanding of self, vocational aspirations) | * Approach problems systematically, as in the ability to make a prediction, revise thinking (given new evidence), and revise and improve a disconfirmed hypothesis. | * Thinks logically: Understands and uses principles of scientific thinking (e.g., inference, deduction, hypothesis-testing, ruling out alternative hypotheses) | | "Form" in Formal Operations: | Whereas the concrete operations child follows the content of an argument, the formal operations child can follow its form. For instance, contrast the content versus the form in the appreciation and interpretation of a parable,
Open Document